OBSTVPVI, steterúntque comæ, et vox faucibus hæsit. Ie ne suis pas bon naturaliste (qu’ils disent) et ne sçai guiere par quels ressors la peur agit en nous, mais tant y a que c’est vne estrange passion: et disent les Medecins qu’il n’en est aucune, qui emporte plustost nostre iugement hors de sa deuë assiete. De vray, i’ay veu beaucoup de gens deuenus insensez de peur: et au plus rassis il est certain pendant que son accés dure, qu’elle engendre de terribles esblouissemens.
I stood aghast; my hair stood on end, and my voice stuck in my throat. I am not a good naturalist (as they call it), and I hardly know by what springs fear works in us; but at any rate it is a strange passion, and the physicians say there is none that more quickly carries our judgment out of its proper seat. Indeed, I have seen many people driven out of their minds by fear; and even in the most level-headed, it is certain that while the fit lasts it produces terrible delusions.
Ie laisse à part le vulgaire, à qui elle represente tantost les bisayeulx sortis du tombeau enueloppez en leur suaire, tantost des Loups-garoups, des Lutins, et des Chimeres. Mais parmy les soldats mesme, où elle deuroit trouuer moins de place, combien de fois a elle changé vn troupeau de brebis en esquadron de corselets? des roseaux et des cannes en gens-darmes et lanciers? nos amis en nos ennemis? et la croix blanche à la rouge?
I leave aside the common people, to whom it shows now their great-grandfathers risen from the tomb wrapped in their shrouds, now werewolves, goblins and chimeras. But even among soldiers, where it ought to find less room, how many times has it turned a flock of sheep into a squadron of armored men? Reeds and canes into men-at-arms and lancers? Our friends into our enemies? The white cross into the red?
Lors que Monsieur de Bourbon print Rome, vn port’enseigne, qui estoit à la garde du bourg sainct Pierre, fut saisi de tel effroy à la premiere alarme, que par le trou d’vne ruine il se ietta, l’enseigne au poing, hors la ville droit aux ennemis, pensant tirer vers le dedans de la ville; et à peine en fin voyant la troupe de Monsieur de Bourbon se renger pour le soustenir, estimant que ce fust vne sortie que ceux de la ville fissent, il se recogneut, et tournant teste r’entra par ce mesme trou, par lequel il estoit sorty, plus de trois cens pas auant en la campaigne.
When Monsieur de Bourbon took Rome, a standard-bearer who was on guard at the Borgo San Pietro was seized with such terror at the first alarm that he threw himself out of the city, flag in hand, through a gap in a ruin, straight toward the enemy, thinking he was heading into the city. Only at last, seeing Monsieur de Bourbon’s troops forming up to meet him, and thinking it was a sally from the city, did he come to his senses; and turning about, he went back in through the same hole by which he had gone out, having advanced more than three hundred paces into the open field.
Il n’en aduint pas du tout si heureusement à l’enseigne du Capitaine Iulle, lors que Sainct Paul fut pris sur nous par le Comte de Bures et Monsieur du Reu. Car estant si fort esperdu de frayeur, que de se ietter à tout son enseigne hors de la ville, par vne canonniere, il fut mis en pieces par les assaillans. Et au mesme siege, fut memorable la peur qui serra, saisit, et glaça si fort le cœur d’vn Gentil-homme, qu’il en tomba roide mort par terre à la bresche, sans aucune blessure. Pareille rage pousse par fois toute vne multitude. En l’vne des rencontres de Germanicus contre les Allemans, deux grosses trouppes prindrent d’effroy deux routes opposites, l’vne fuyoit d’où l’autre partoit.
Things did not turn out nearly so happily for Captain Julle’s standard-bearer when Saint-Pol was taken from us by the Count of Bures and Monsieur du Reu. He was so beside himself with fright that he threw himself, flag and all, out of the town through a gunport, and was cut to pieces by the attackers. And at the same siege, memorable was the fear that so gripped, seized and froze the heart of a gentleman that he fell stone dead on the ground at the breach, without a single wound. A like frenzy sometimes drives a whole multitude. In one of Germanicus’ encounters with the Germans, two large bodies of troops in their terror took two opposite routes: one fled toward the place the other was leaving.
Tantost elle nous donne des aisles aux talons, comme aux deux premiers: tantost elle nous cloüe les pieds, et les entraue: comme on lit de l’Empereur Theophile, lequel en vne bataille qu’il perdit contre les Agarenes, deuint si estonné et si transi, qu’il ne pouuoit prendre party de s’enfuyr: adeò pauor etiam auxilia formidat: iusques à ce que Manuel l’vn des principaux chefs de son armee, l’ayant tirassé et secoüé, comme pour l’esueiller d’vn profond somme, luy dit: Si vous ne me suiuez ie vous tueray: car il vaut mieux que vous perdiez la vie, que si estant prisonnier vous veniez à perdre l’Empire.
Sometimes fear puts wings on our heels, as it did for the first two. Sometimes it nails our feet to the ground and shackles them. So we read of the Emperor Theophilus: in a battle he lost against the Agarenes, he was so stunned and so paralyzed that he could not bring himself to flee. So much does fear dread even help. At last Manuel, one of the chief commanders of his army, tugged at him and shook him as if to wake him from a deep sleep, and said: “If you do not follow me, I will kill you. It is better for you to lose your life than to be taken prisoner and lose the Empire.”
Lors exprime elle sa derniere force, quand pour son seruice elle nous reiette à la vaillance, qu’elle a soustraitte à nostre deuoir et à nostre honneur. En la premiere iuste bataille que les Romains perdirent contre Hannibal, sous le Consul Sempronius, vne troupe de bien dix mille hommes de pied, qui print l’espouuante, ne voyant ailleurs par où faire passage à sa lascheté, s’alla ietter au trauers le gros des ennemis: lequel elle perça d’un merueilleux effort, auec grand meurtre de Carthaginois: achetant vne honteuse fuite, au mesme prix qu’elle eust eu vne glorieuse victoire.
Fear shows its utmost strength when, for its own purposes, it throws us back on the valor it has stolen from our duty and our honor. In the first pitched battle the Romans lost to Hannibal, under the consul Sempronius, a body of a good ten thousand foot soldiers was seized with panic. Seeing no other way out for its cowardice, it hurled itself straight through the thick of the enemy and broke through with marvelous effort, with a great slaughter of Carthaginians. It bought a shameful flight at the same price it would have paid for a glorious victory.
C’est ce dequoy i’ay le plus de peur que la peur. Aussi surmonte elle en aigreur tous autres accidents. Quelle affection peut estre plus aspre et plus iuste, que celle des amis de Pompeius, qui estoient en son nauire, spectateurs de cet horrible massacre? Si est-ce que la peur des voiles Egyptiennes, qui commençoient à les approcher, l’estouffa de maniere, qu’on a remerqué, qu’ils ne s’amuserent qu’à haster les mariniers de diligenter, et de se sauuer à coups d’auiron; iusques à ce qu’arriuez à Tyr, libres de crainte, ils eurent loy de tourner leur pensee à la perte qu’ils venoient de faire, et lascher la bride aux lamentations et aux larmes, que cette autre plus forte passion auoit suspendües.
The thing I am most afraid of is fear. And indeed it surpasses all other afflictions in sharpness. What feeling could be keener and more justified than that of Pompey’s friends, who were on his ship and watched that horrible massacre? And yet fear of the Egyptian sails, which were beginning to close in on them, so smothered it that, as has been noted, they did nothing but urge the sailors to hurry and row for their lives. Only when they reached Tyre, free from fear, were they at leisure to turn their thoughts to the loss they had just suffered and give free rein to the lamentations and tears that this other, stronger passion had held in check.
Tum pauor sapientiam omnem mihi ex animo expectorat. Ceux qui auront esté bien frottés en quelque estour de guerre, tous blessez encor et ensanglantez, on les rameine bien le lendemain à la charge. Mais ceux qui ont conçeu quelque bonne peur des ennemis, vous ne les leur feriez pas seulement regarder en face. Ceux qui sont en pressante crainte de perdre leur bien, d’estre exilez, d’estre subiuguez, viuent en continuelle angoisse, en perdent le boire, le manger, et le repos. Là où les pauures, les bannis, les serfs, viuent souuent aussi ioyeusement que les autres.
Then fear drives all wisdom out of my breast. Men who have been soundly thrashed in some fight, still all wounded and bloody, can easily be brought back to the charge the next day. But those who have conceived a good fear of the enemy—you could not make them so much as look him in the face. Those who are in pressing fear of losing their property, of being exiled, of being subjugated, live in continual anguish and lose their appetite for food and drink, and their rest. Whereas the poor, the banished and the serfs often live as cheerfully as anyone else.
Et tant de gens, qui de l’impatience des pointures de la peur, se sont pendus, noyez, et precipitez, nous ont bien apprins qu’elle est encores plus importune et plus insupportable que la mort.
And so many people who, unable to bear the stings of fear, have hanged themselves, drowned themselves or thrown themselves from a height, have taught us well that it is even more oppressive and unbearable than death.
Les Grecs en recognoissent vne autre espece, qui est outre l’erreur de nostre discours: venant, disent-ils, sans cause apparente, et d’vne impulsion celeste. Des peuples entiers s’en voyent souuent frappez, et des armees entieres. Telle fut celle qui apporta à Carthage vne merueilleuse desolation. On n’y oyoit que cris et voix effrayees: on voyoit les habitans sortir de leurs maisons, comme à l’alarme; et se charger, blesser et entretuer les vns les autres, comme si ce fussent ennemis, qui vinssent à occuper leur ville. Tout y estoit en desordre, et en fureur: iusques à ce que par oraisons et sacrifices, ils eussent appaisé l’ire des dieux. Ils nomment cela terreurs Paniques.
The Greeks recognize another kind of fear, which lies outside any error of our reasoning: it comes, they say, without apparent cause and from a heavenly impulse. Whole peoples are often seen struck by it, and whole armies. Such was the fear that brought marvelous desolation upon Carthage. Nothing was heard there but cries and terrified voices. The inhabitants were seen rushing out of their houses as at an alarm, attacking, wounding and killing one another as if they were enemies come to occupy their city. All was disorder and frenzy, until they had appeased the wrath of the gods with prayers and sacrifices. They call these Panic terrors.